Oliver Jeffers has put out yet another gorgeously illustrated and rather whimsical picture book. If you haven’t discovered his books already, go check out “Stuck” and “How to Catch a Star” – my boys particularly loved these two.
This Moose Belongs to Me is about a little boy name Wilfred and his relationship and adventures with his “pet” moose Marcel.
I’m liking
Oliver Jeffers’ artwork is some of the best, if not the best, in new children’s books being published today. The book has all sorts of different artistic styles within it, and yet the book holds together well. Each time you read it you can appreciate the little artistic details over and over. I’d love the cover art hanging on the wall of my boys’ bedroom and it reminds me of my time in Canada.
“This Moose belongs to me” is different to a lot of children’s picture books. Often my mind wanders to other things while reading a book repetitively to my boys, but with Oliver’s book there’s plenty of themes to ponder while reading it: themes of (pet) ownership, independence, rules, obedience, loyalty, friendship, expectations, selfishness, bossiness and compromise.
Things that made me go hmmmm
The line “It was past his home time now, and the monsters would be out soon” made my four year old ask “What monsters come out at night Mummy?” The book doesn’t illustrate or elaborate on these monsters but I felt a bit uncomfortable reading that when it was dark out, just like in the illustration.
I didn’t like the line “The moose would agree to all of Wilfred’s rules… whenever it suited him” the first time I read it. I felt like it was encouraging *my* son to pick and choose rules *I* told him when it suited him. When reading it over and over though, I began realising it was because Wilfred’s rules were excessive and self-centred and towards a pet/wild animal/friend – not a parent/child relationship which is quite different. I think that over time, I could talk to my boys about their relationships with a pet, or animal a friend.
The conclusion
Now that I’ve worked through my thinking on the book, I really can enjoy the pictures *and* the narrative! The book would make a beautiful gift.
